Hearing loss -- I can't understand conversations

I’m on my third pair of hearing aids in 15 years . I’ve always been told each would provide an improvement in clarity and that has not happened. I’m so disappointed in the hearing aid industry what with all the current wonderful new technology it appears they have fallen behind .

@gailelease1 I had a deviated septum since 1961. Just had a new procedure called Vivaer. It takes a doctor about 10 minutes to put things right again. Very little discomfort. It’s a whole lot better than getting your nose re-broken. Google it to find out more. It’s covered by Medicare. Any questions; let me know. It really helps when sleeping.

Thank you

I had my earing tested and I can hear, but certain frequencies I cannot, that's why at times, can't understand what people are saying if I don't wear my hearing aids. A good quality hearing aid corrects that. I tried over the counter hearing aids, no they did not help. Through my insurance, I was able to buy a hearing aid set, to correct my hearing loss. I have the Oticon brand earing aid, so far I am very happy with them.

@maryje & others: Typical sensorineural hearing loss is likely to be progressive over time. It is very important to protect the hearing you retain by avoiding extreme noise and/or using ear protection when that isn't possible.

Nearly everyone with adult onset, age related hearing loss will tell you they can 'hear' but not understand. It's especially difficult in noisy settings. Social settings are among those which make things difficult, even with high quality hearing aids in most instances. They 'help'. They don't 'cure'.

It helps to understand what is going on. The tiny hair cells in the cochlea (inner ear) are damaged. They are a bit like a piano keyboard with high sounds going to low sounds. The high sounds are usually the first to go when the hair cells that receive them are damaged.

In speech, most consonants fall in those higher pitches. Vowels fall in the lower pitches. The consonants/high sounds are the first to become distorted.

Ask a fried to take a few 4 syllable words and write them down without the consonants. See if you can tell them what the word is. Then do the same thing by only eliminating the vowels (A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y).

Here's an example I_ _O_ _ I_ _E. It's 4 syllables. Do you know what the word is?

Here it is with just the vowels. _MP_SS_BL_. Can you identify the word? Probably but it may take you a second longer than if you had the entire word.

It is typical for a person with hearing loss to take a few seconds longer to understand something. People with normal hearing respond immediately. That few seconds takes energy that can lead to fatigue that is misunderstood. Listening takes far more energy for a person who has hearing issues. This is a reality. That brief delay also puts us in a situation where the conversation goes too fast for us to keep up with.

Often people who are diagnosed with hearing loss are told they have "NERVE DAMAGE". That may not be the case. The damage in the cochlea's hair cells causes poor stimulation of the auditory nerve. That nerve is functional, but it isn't getting clear signals to send to the brain for interpretation.

The result is 'We can hear but not understand'. In many cases, bypassing the damaged cochlea with a cochlear implant can reintroduce the auditory nerve and brain to more clear understanding.

Hearing loss is very common with estimates of over 50 million people in the U.S.A. living with it. Of that number, fewer than 2 million are Deaf, meaning of Deaf Culture; those who embrace and depend on using American Sign Language. The huge majority are people who depend on spoken language. Understanding options in procedures and in technology is extremely important. Willingness to learn about options and use technology is a choice. Sometimes that technology that works also shows. Stigmas that are nothing short of stupid, still prevent many people with hearing loss from getting help.

I guess I've submitted my lesson for the month here today! 🙂 I'm so very thankful to have discovered the support provided by the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) many years ago. The education, information and support I've received there has enabled me to live WELL with the hearing loss I was diagnosed with decades ago. http://www.hearingloss.org

Support matters! Mayo Clinic Connect's discussion groups provide a great deal of support for people with many personal health issues. Thank You MCC!

@julieo4, Yes, I am 76 and hearing loss as we age runs in the family. My brother and grandfather had hearing loss. Thank goodness my insurance covered my hearing aids that have a prescription set for my hearing needs. It's nice to go out and be able to understand people when they are speaking.

@gailelease1 I was very happy with my Costco hearing aids for 8 years (two pairs, replaced very 4 years). Now that my hearing has continued to deteriorate, I've opted for a more costly pair (Oticon Intent). The biggest variable is the skill of the dispenser. I'm now working with a licensed Dr. of audiology. Costco mostly uses hearing aide dispensers. My audiologist has made special adjustments to help me hear at church, at theatre, and while playing the organ. This has been very helpful. Also, I'm finding that t-coils at theatres seem to be getting better and better. So, in short, Costco hearing aids are excellent value for milder hearing loss, but if you can find a local Costco with an audiologist, it's worth the extra drive.

Thank you for the information. I get mine on 2/9 but they let me try them when I was there by walking around the store and talking to people. They worked well.

I have had hearing aids for over twenty years. Part of the problem is Minnesota. People of Minn are trying to be polite by not facing you when they speak. They love to stand side by side shoulder to shoulder and talk to the wind. I missed a lot of conversations until I had my hearing tested by an audiologist and found I was losing the high frequencies. At first my loss was in my right ear with a curve that showed slight loss from low to middle and then much steeper loss from middle range to high. The key word that sold the need for aids was "LAUD" which means "to praise"! I heard it as "log". When you say the word, the 'D' is in the High Frequency range. Now I have a straight line decline from Low to High frequencies over a 80 db loss. I asked my Mayo PGP to set up a hearing test and I had one. The doctor told me I had fine hearing for a 60 year old, and of course "Don't worry about it" The standard answer for when their tool bag is empty!

I’m wearing hearing aid for approximately 20 years have got to say there’s been very little if any improvement in clarity of sound . Over the years I’ve spent about 20 thousand dollars and at most seen maybe a 10% improvement taking into the fact of my advancing age .
I find it hard to understand that with the huge advancements in technology this industry is much like it was 20 years ago .